Modern Brake Lever Mod on 1998+ Model 220's

Discussion specific to the 1995 - 2006 KDX200 (H Series) and 1995 - 2005 KDX220R (A Series) models sold in the USA
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Cornelius
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Modern Brake Lever Mod on 1998+ Model 220's

Post by Cornelius »

I purchased a blown up 2012 KX250F with the intention of building a KDX220AF, but the winter got away from me and race season is soon upon us here.
So I instead started pillaging parts from the KXF and seeing what I could swap over to 'upgrade' the KDX.
Most notable so far is the brake pedal.
The OEM KDX brake pedal sucks and is expensive to replace, if you're lucky enough to find a good used one.
But you CAN bend it back close to it's original shape if you do bend it; it won't just snap on you.

Anyways, my KXF came with a Hammerhead brake pedal on it, and in a bin of parts there was also a Moose Racing brake pedal.
The shape kind of looks the same as the stock KDX pedal, so I took some measurements and then headed to the hardware store; pedal in hand.

The KXF pedal has a 15mm diameter bore through it, and the KDX has a 11-12mm stud for mounting the brake pedal on.
So I had to find something preferably metal or nylon that had a 15mm OD and an 11-12mm ID.
I stumbled upon a roll of PEX pipe (I don't know what other countries call it, but it's the white piping used for water lines in houses etc).
It slide right in to the 15mm bore, and my 11-12mm stud slid right into the middle - solved!

I actually had a roll of pipe at work, so I whipped down there and snipped a few lengths off and headed home to test it out.
The pipe fits the 15mm bore perfectly - no question about that.
The smaller ID could fit a little better, it's a fraction of a millimeter loose; perhaps one layer of electrical tape around the stud would fill it up sufficiently - but for now, I'm gonna run it!

In my opinion that is a pretty slick brake pedal mod I haven't seen done yet!
Here's a few pics showing the levers, pipe, and fitment, as well as what it looks like mounted on the bike.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... drive_link

What do you think?
1998 KDX220 - '03 KX250 front end - Billetron pro 38 carb - Fredette ported - Gnarly Desert pipe - Turbine Core can
Chopperpilot
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Re: Modern Brake Lever Mod on 1998+ Model 220's

Post by Chopperpilot »

I put the brake pedal off of a (I think) 2014 KX450. I found a bronze bushing at the hardware store that fit perfect and the bronze will act as a self lubricating bushing.
Cornelius
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Re: Modern Brake Lever Mod on 1998+ Model 220's

Post by Cornelius »

Chopperpilot wrote: 10:34 pm Mar 23 2025 I put the brake pedal off of a (I think) 2014 KX450. I found a bronze bushing at the hardware store that fit perfect and the bronze will act as a self lubricating bushing.
Nice! I will keep looking for something like that. Ideally I'd like to have a couple little grooves in it for o-rings, and then pack it with grease and just forget about it. But the pipe is quick and easy for now.
1998 KDX220 - '03 KX250 front end - Billetron pro 38 carb - Fredette ported - Gnarly Desert pipe - Turbine Core can
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Chuck78
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Re: Modern Brake Lever Mod on 1998+ Model 220's

Post by Chuck78 »

You can find two Oilite Bronze bushings that are the exact dimensions needed except for the width, double stacking them side by side and I believe shaving a little bit off of one will end up at the exact perfect dimensions. Or you can just grind off the welded on brake pedal stud and convert to the KX part which is a removable stud, you can either just put a nut on the back side and used thread locker to retain it, or you can even just weld a nut to the KDX frame.
The aftermarket KX500 brake pedals are merely just this newer style of KX brake pedal with a bushing pressed into it to go down to the size of the 1994 or so and older KX500, KX125/250, and KDX brake pedal stud.
'97 KDX220R - purple/green! - KLX forks, Lectron, FMF, Tubliss
'99 KDX220R project - '98/'01 RM125 suspension, Titanium hardware, Lectron Billetron Pro, Tubliss
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John_S
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Re: Modern Brake Lever Mod on 1998+ Model 220's

Post by John_S »

Nice job getting that one to fit.
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